Movie Music and More #33: James Bond Franchise

Spectre is in theaters, so there is no better time than the present to listen to the many classic theme songs and tracks from the James Bond franchise. Today, I highlight a few of my personal favorites pieces of music from the franchise, although there are many, many others are equally as excellent.

James Bond's theme is one of the most iconic and recognizable in cinema history. The above is specifically the rendition from Casino Royale, although it is virtually identical to every other version of the theme. 

Visually, Casino Royale's opening sequence is the best and interesting by far. The song, "You Know My Name," is quite good as well.

The first James Bond film to feature a song during the open sequence, "Goldfinger" by Shirley Bassey, is still one of the best in the franchise.

"Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney and the Wings is the song from the franchise that I have listened to the most. It might not actually sound like a typical Bond song, but it is an enjoyable listen. 

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Top 10 James Bond Movies: Part 2

Spectre is out in theaters, so it is time to wrap up my Top 10 James Bond Movies list with the final six entries.

6: The Spy Who Loved Me

Almost universally considered Roger Moore's strongest outing as Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me hits all the right marks for a fun Bond flick. The opening sequence is thrilling, the Bond girl is genuinely interesting, and the humor is spot on. For those that are not a fan of the more lighthearted Bond flicks, the film might still be too silly for their tastes, but otherwise, it is worthwhile action flick.

5: GoldenEye

Arguably Piece Bronson's only great Bond film, GoldenEye not only gave audiences the best Bond film since the Connery era; it spawned the even more legendary video game of the same name on the Nintendo 64, which revolutionize console shooters. As for the film itself, there are still script issues, but Bronson is an incredibly capable and charming Bond. In fact, he remains one of my favorite actors to play the role. Unfortunately, Bronson was never given the chance to shine in the role again due to lackluster material in later films.

4: From Russia With Love

The second film in the franchise, From Russia With Love remains far and above one of the best in the franchise, even more than 50 years later. Before gadgets and action spectacle left classic espionage to the wayside, From Russia With Love is true a spy/espionage film, and a mighty excellent one at that. If this is your favorite Bond film, you are certainly not wrong, because this one holds up. 

3: Skyfall

While not exactly as flawless as it seemed upon my initial viewing, Skyfall celebrated 50 years of James Bond in spectacular fashion as it delves deep into what makes Bond tick and if a man with a gun is still relevant in the modern era of computers. By the end, Skyfall sets everything in place for the future of the franchise, as it returns to its roots in many respects.

2: Goldfinger

Goldfinger is the epitome of a Bond film. It introduced gadgets, larger-than-life villains, a nefarious plot that Bond must foil, and the now iconic opening credits sequence accompanied by a song. As a film, Goldfinger is still a blast to watch. Connery is at the top of his game with plenty of wit and charm, and the antagonists, Goldfinger and Oddjob, remain two of the franchise's most iconic villains. Everything about the film screams classic Bond, which is why it is one of the best.

1: Casino Royale

Adapting the first novel in the franchise, Casino Royale takes Bond to the beginning as it shows how he developed his cold-hearted demeanor. Casino Royale revived and redefined the dying Bond franchise with a darker and more violent take with a deeper character development than any other Bond film. Believe it or not, upon my first viewing of the film around its release, I disliked the film. It was different than previous Bond films, and as a younger viewer, it was not what I expected. Of course, after rewatching it several times more recently, Casino Royale is not only my favorite Bond film, it is one of my favorite films of all-time. 

What are your favorite Bond films? Do you agree with my review? Please comment below and let me know!

Honorable Mention: You Only Live Twice

P.S. Assuming Spectre will be as good as I hope, I will post an updated version of the list after viewing the film.

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Top 10 James Bond Movies: Part 1

The 24th James Bond film, Spectre, will be in theaters on Friday for US audiences. And celebrate this long running and legendary franchise; it is time to rank the Top 10 Best Movies in the James Bond franchise!

If you are more interested in my rankings of the movies and not in my personal history with the Bond franchise, skip this paragraph and continue reading. My history with the Bond franchise started with my father, who has been watching the Bond films since the 70s. He has always been a fan of the franchise, and thus, as a kid, my brother and I watched many of the movies with him, particularly the early Sean Connery flicks. I have seen all of the Bonds, many of them more than once. Since the TV channel, Spike, would play a marathon of Bond flicks on certain holidays, we would end up watching them. So, while Bond is not as influential as Star Wars or Indiana Jones for me, I have always watched and enjoyed the films, and my father is a fan of the novels, which I will probably read at some point. With that said, the James Bond franchise is incredibly inconsistent in terms of quality with only a handful being of truly "great" quality, although, except for the worst films, many of the movies at least deliver campy action and adventure. 

Lastly, please note that I have not seen many of the Bond flicks in quite some time. Therefore, ranking any of the films that I have not seen since becoming a reviewer is more difficult.

Honorable Mention: On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Despite George Lazenby torpedoing his chances of returning for future Bond films with his off screen actions, the plot of On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the franchise's stronger entries. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to watch the film in several years, and thus I do not remember it well enough to rank, despite being considered one of the most underrated entries in the franchise.

10: Live and Let Die

Live and Let Die is on the list for two reasons: Paul McCartney's theme song, "Live and Let Die," and the epic boat chase during the climax of the film. Live and Let Die is Roger Moore's first time as Bond, and while his run as a whole gave us some of the worst Bond films, his more comical and cheeky take on the character is rather fun to watch. He might not have the outrageously cool factor of Sean Connery but he handles many of the absurd lines with a surprising degree of class, and the movie as a whole is a fun watch.

9: The Living Daylights

Timothy Dalton's first film as Bond, The Living Daylights proved to be a more serious take on the franchise, which would not be seen again until Daniel Craig's films. Dalton's Bond is decidedly darker and even troubled at times. At first, the darker Bond felt strange compared to the campy adventures of previous years. However, after watching it again as a critic, the film a solidly written and directed film, which is even more accurate to the tone of the novels (according to a personal source of mine). 

8: Thunderball

My favorite Bond flick to watch as a kid, Thunderball began the franchise's heavy reliance on cool gadgets and spectacle over espionage. From the underwater battles to the jetpack escape, Thunderball is an all around fun film to watch. The plot might lack in terms of complexity, but again, this is very much a nostalgic pick for me.  

7: Dr. No

The one that started it all, Dr. No is the first James Bond film produced in the official series (there was a Casino Royale TV movie).  Compared to the explosive action-packed adventures later in the franchise, Dr. No is more methodically paced as it builds up the confrontation with Dr. No. Some modern viewers might find it too slow, but it is worth the watch, especially if you are a fan of the recent films.

What are some of your favorites? How many Bond movies have you seen? Please comment below and let know! And check back tomorrow for the second and final part.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Reader's Choice Results, Mad Max, James Bond and More!

Things are getting busy on J and J Productions! The Reader's Choice votes are in, I have finally seen Mad Max: Fury Road, Spectre, the latest Bond flick, is heading to the states, I am going to see The Martian soon, and The Force Awakens is fast approaching! So today, I want to breakdown what to expect on J and J Productions in the coming weeks. 

Starting tomorrow, I am counting down the Top 10 James Bond movies to countdown to Spectra coming to the US this Friday. On Tuesday, I will, hopefully, be reviewing The Martian, since the local theater finally has it in. In the following three days, expect to see the weekly review of Doctor Who, Jordan's monthly "Coming Soon: November," and the final part of the Top 10 James Bond movies. The weekend will contain the usual movie news and "Movie Music and More" posts. 

The next week will kickoff the countdown to Star Wars: The Force Awakens with a post detailing my various ideas, as well as more Star Wars Reader's Choice picks. Depending on how exactly things work out on my end, expect to see reviews for the Christian Football drama, Woodlawn, Spectra, the Reader's Choice picks, and lastly, my review for the summer's most critically acclaimed film, Mad Max: Fury Road. After missing it in theaters, I will have a detailed non-spoiler review coming soon!

To wrap things of, let's talk about the Reader's Choice results. Please know that the Reader's Choice is still open, and if you would like to vote, please click here. In the past, my Reader's Choice picks featured only posts that I had at least a rough draft in the works. However, I decided to come up with various ideas, and let you decide which ones that I should write about. Therefore, it takes a little longer to catch up with your picks, so please keep that in mind. Now for the results!

• 5 Unconventional Sherlock Holmes Adaptations
• Arrested Development Review
• Breaking Bad Review
• My Writing Playlist
• The Maze Runner Review
• Top 10 TV Characters
• Top 10 TV Comedies
• Top 25 TV Shows of All Time

I also want to thank everyone for voting. Now I know what you want me to write and that gives me the drive to get things done! On one final note, I have recorded answers to your questions from the "Ask Me Anything" post, so those are on the way as well. And below is the projected schedule, which is, always, subject to change.

• Monday: Top 10 James Bond Movies: Part 1
• Tuesday: The Martian Review
• Wednesday: Doctor Who Review
• Thursday: Coming Soon: November by Jordan
• Friday: Top 10 James Bond Movies: Part 2
• Saturday: Movie Music and More: James Bond

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Movie Music and More #5

To mix things up for today's Movie Music and More, I want to highlight not only a song, but an opening credits sequence in which the song is used: Casino Royale’s opening featuring "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell. Visually, Casino Royale's opening is my favorite James Bond opening sequence, and "You Know My Name" is very good song that is worth listening to on its own on occasion. In addition, below is the original James Bond, which is an all-time and one of the many recognizable elements of the Bond franchise. What do you think about today's music? Please comment below and let me know.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

James Bond: Spectre Trailer Review

Spectre is shaping up to be yet another top notch James Bond film from director Sam Mendes! While it is only a teaser, a surprisingly amount of the film's plot is revealed in it. At first, I thought the picture Bond is looking was of him and his previously unknown brother. After researching it, this seems that the person in the picture is a childhood friend. Christoph Waltz is set to play the character, and he is rumored to be a new Blofeld, a classic Bond villain. For one, Christoph Waltz is the perfect choice to play a villainous role in a Bond flick. He can be a little over-the-top yet never reaching camp, at least in his good roles. Connecting Bond and Blofeld by a shared past is an interesting idea, and if executed well, we might just have a Bond villain with depth.

Visually, Sam Mendes' cinematography is stunning! As far as teaser trailers go, Spectre's is one of the best of the year; I am very impressed. Overall, let's hope that Spectre will be yet another excellent James Bond film, and for reference, my favorite Bond films are: Casino Royale, Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, and Skyfall (in no particular order), although I enjoy most of them. What do you think of the trailer? Please comment below and let me know.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Skyfall Review: Part 2.

Here is part two of my James Bond Skyfall review. If you have not read Part 1 of my Skyfall review, please click here to check it out. For Part 1 of this review, please click here.


Plot: 9.7/10- Despite a few very minor plot holes and clichés, the film brilliantly showcases why a man with a gun is still needed in this age of technology. The dialogue is often clever and well written, with some perfectly placed references in many of the classic James Bond films. However, the opening and climax is where the film truly shines, with shocking plot twists and intense character moments. Bond is portrayed as being human and is given a real back-story, which had only been hinted at in previous films.

Action: 9.4/10- From the opening action set piece (more below) to the climatic finale, Skyfall's action was filmed brilliantly. One fight reminded me of the Odd Job fight from Connery's Goldfinger complete with a villainess pit of giant reptiles, yet it fit within the world and did not seem unrealistic (except for the obviously CGIed Komodo Dragon). The final battle was completely unique, there has never been anything like it in any Bond film and it had a lot of tension. Even though it was filmed at night, there was enough lighting to clearly see what was going on throughout the film. Fortunately was almost no use of the dreaded "shaky-cam", which permeates far too much of modern cinema today, every shot was framed with skill by the director. As stated previously even the silhouette fight was also filmed well. My only slight problem with the action is that there could have more because it was all done so well.

Acting: 9.8/10- Due to the sheer amount of fantastic performances, I parts about each major actor.

Daniel Craig gives a role defining performance as Bond, forever solidifying him as one of, if not the best James Bond. He gave great depth to the role, even improving upon his performance from Casino Royale.

Judi Dench as M gives the best performance she has ever had in the role. She was given a large role in the film and it certainly worked out perfectly. In a way, Dench is the "Bond Girl" of the film but more in a motherly sense.

Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva was great in the role, but as I stated above, was not quite as good as I expected.

Ben Whishaw as Q was great in the role, even if he did look a little ridiculous in his funny hipster outfit. Nonetheless, Q is back in the Bond franchise and I am happy about it.

Naomie Harris as Eve, an MI6 field agent who assists Bond on several occasions and she was good in the role.

Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory gave a top notch performance in his role and was given more development than I expected.

Bérénice Marlohe as Sévérine is basically the "Bond Girl" of the movie, and given a surprising amount of depth in her very minuscule role. Despite this, she is attractive and memorable in her role.

The other actors were all great in their roles, including a character who I will not name as to not give away possible spoilers.

Special effects: 8.6/10- While I want to give the effects a higher score for some incredible practical effects shots, there was a CGI animal that looked ridiculously fake for a moment. It was not too distracting but worth mentioning, considering the budget of the film.

Soundtrack: 9.9/10- One of the best James Bond soundtracks to date. Seamlessly blending the iconic Bond theme with Thomas Newman's dynamic score. However, there were a few too many hard percussion similar to some Hans Zimmer scores like The Dark Knight.

Comedy: 8.2/10- Definitely the most humorous of Daniel Craig's Bond films, particularly the clever references to the classic Bond films, those were often hilarious.

Opening Scene: 10/10- Possibly the best James Bond opening yet with a nearly 15 minute long chase scene that seamlessly ended into Adele's "Skyfall" song. Opposed to Quantum of Solace "shaky-cam" fest, Skyfall's opening was done great style and finesse, yet retained a perfect mix of brutally and fun. It is on par with "The Spy Who Loved Me" Union Jack ski jump parachute. Some may argue that the film opens too big, but I see it as a way to get the action out front, thus making the next 30 minutes of character development not to feel boring or out of place.

Gadgets: 8.1- Finally, Craig's Bond gets to use some gadgets! Albeit still within the realm of  reasonability and something similar to what was used in "License to Kill". There were a few other gadgets used but that would require going into spoiler territory.

Title Sequence: 10/10- Visually Skyfall's Title Sequence might just be the best one yet. Everything about it was visually stunning and reflecting upon the film's opening sequence and what is to come. Adele's Oscar Winning song was fantastic and actually has much to do with the actual film. One of the Bond opening songs with the likes of "Goldfinger" and "Live and Let Die", truly beautiful work by Adele.


Would I Watch This Again: I want to watch it again right now, and have already seen it twice in one week.

Overall: 9.6/10- Now, the big question: is Skyfall the best James Bond film yet? And I can confidently say that Skyfall is not just the best Bond film, it so much more than a Bond film, it is one of the best films I have ever seen.


Closing comments: Not only is Skyfall the best Bond film to date (in my opinion), it is a celebration of what makes Bond a timeless classic that will endure throughout the ages.

If you are unfamiliar with the extra categories that I use when reviewing James Bond films,

for more information on James Bond and why I like the franchise click here to my James Bond Movie Guide.

Note: Skyfall is very accessible for newcomers to the Bond franchise. To have the best experience without watching every film, watch Casino Royale, Goldfinger and maybe Dr. No., fortunately, it is not necessary to watch the dull and derivative Quantum of Solace but definitely watch Casino Royale. However, long time fans like myself will find the most enjoyment out of Skyfall.

Recommended for: Everyone, Action fans, Thriller fans, Espionage fans, Spy fans, James Bond fans, Cinematography fans,

Plot Summary: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.
In Istanbul, MI6 agents James Bond and Eve chase a mercenary, Patrice, who has stolen a computer hard drive containing details of undercover agents placed in terrorist organizations by NATO states. Patrice wounds Bond in the shoulder and, as the two men fight atop a train, Eve inadvertently shoots Bond, allowing Patrice to escape. Bond falls into a river and goes missing, and is presumed to be dead.
In the aftermath of the operation, M, the head of MI6, comes under political pressure to retire from Gareth Mallory, the Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman. On her return from the meeting, MI6's servers are breached and M receives a taunting message via computer moments before the offices explode, killing a number of employees. MI6 relocates to its emergency offices underground. Bond, having used his supposed death to retire, learns of the attack and returns to London. Although he fails a series of physical and psychological examinations, M approves his return to the field. Shrapnel taken from Bond's shoulder wound helps identify Patrice, and intelligence places him in Shanghai, where he is planning an assassination. Bond is ordered to identify Patrice's employer, recover the stolen hard drive and kill Patrice.
Watch the movie to see what happens next.

Click on the links below for more Skyfall Reviews by my favorite Film Critics.
Skyfall by Jordan at Rath's Reviews
Film Review: 007 ~ Skyfall Alexandra Lanc at Words of the Worlds
Movie Review: Skyfall (2012) by Buddy2Blogger at Buddy2Blogger
Skyfall by Ian Drury at Banon's Roar!
Skyfall Review by Daniel at Random Mexican's Movie Review Extravaganza
If you have reviewed the film and would like a link to your link review to be displayed on tomorrow's post, please comment.

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Skyfall (23rd Bond film) Review: Part 1.

Thoughts: Skyfall, the critically acclaimed 23rd film in the James Bond series, but does it live up to the hype? Due to the length of this Skyfall review and how much I have to say, the review has been split into two parts for your reading convenience. This is a mostly spoiler free, with some spoiler discussion at the end of the review.

When Skyfall was released, it had been 50 years since James Bond hit the big screen with Dr. No and 22 films later we have Skyfall, Sam Mendes' realistic yet fun take on the classic character. Not only did Skyfall gross over a billion dollars worldwide, it received four Oscar nominations, and rightfully so, Skyfall was an amazing film. It had the perfect Combination of the real world Casino Royale atmosphere with the fun classic Bond feel, yet adds a humanizing element not seen to this extend in previous films. After reading many overwhelming positive, my expectations were exceeding high, almost setting myself up for disappointment, but Skyfall delivered everything except disappointment. Now I almost regret not viewing it in theaters.

The tone of the film was very unique. Somehow it was drastically different than anything James Bond has done in the past, yet feels so familiar and classic. In a way, it is an oxymoron, which I cannot explain. One criticism that the film often receives is the slower pacing during the middle part of the film, to which I partially agree. It could have had one more action scene somewhere, but I was never bored or disinterested at any point.

Skyfall is one of the most visually pleasing films I have ever seen, every frame is skillfully lit and framed by director Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins, who was nominated for an Oscar and should have easily won. There was one notable fight scene where the characters were filmed as silhouettes during the fight, which usually sets-up for disaster, but they managed to pull it off with style. Creating a unique fight that was actually very well choreographed, while not exactly stunning, it showed how to make darkly lit action scene work, unlike Nolan's earlier work on The Dark Knight trilogy. More on the action later in the review.

Skyfall is a celebration of 50 years of James Bond, packed with references to all the classic Bond films that will put a big grin on "fanboys" of the franchise, myself included. Many scenes the film is almost self-aware with the references, yet they were pulled off skillfully and never took me out of the film. There was moments were I was actually in awe at one of the references the film made, and how well it was used.

My only slight disappointment would be that Javier Bardem as the film's antagonist Raoul Silva. He was great but not quite as amazing as I was lead to believe. Don't get me wrong, he is one of the best Bond villains and Bardem gave a fantastic performance, yet he did not blow me away as I expected. *Major Spoiler* His escape plan reminded a lot of the Joker's from The Dark Knight, in both the manner in which he escaped and the absurdity of the his pre-planning for everything to go into place, except, in Skyfall it is even more unbelievable than The Dark Knight. He would have had to see into the future for it to all work out. *End Spoiler* Despite this, he was fun to watch and a fitting villain for Bond.

Directed by: Sam Mendes
Genre: Action, Thriller, Spy, Espionage,
Release Date: 9 November 2012
Running Time: 143 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Classic Bond references, Breath taking Cinematography, Expertly choreographed and filmed action scenes, Perfect combination of new and old Bond, Great character development, Shocking plot twist, Amazing finale, Surprisingly deep, Q is back, Fantastic performances, Memorable Villain, "Skyfall" song, Brilliant Opening Title, Excellent soundtrack,  Humanizes Bond, Clever humor, Perfect ending,

The Bad:

Warning: As with all James Bond films there is a lot of suggestive content and it is recommended for the mature audience.

*Major Spoiler Discussion Ahead Watch the Film Before Reading*
Skyfall's ending is one of the many reasons why I liked the film so much. As soon as Bond stepped into the M's new office, I noticed the similarities with M's original office from 60s and in fact it was a near replica of the set. In Dark Knight Rises fashion the unnamed MI6 was revealed to be Eva Moneypenny, one of the original core characters to the Bond franchise and Ralph Fiennes' character, Gareth Mallory, as the new M. Basically, Skyfall, ended with what we have always known as James Bond with M, Q, and Moneypenny. I absolutely loved how it ended with the nods to the classic Bond films, it could not have ended any better. The iconic Bond cued at the perfect time to end it. Plus the "Gun Barrel" sequence was moved to the end, which was a surprising yet fitting end to the film.
Possibly my favorite part of the entire film was when Bond used the original Aston Martin DB5's front mounted machine guns. Still can't believe the Mendes did it. I give him some serious propos for having the guts to do that in this version of Bond. I nearly cheered during that scene.
*End Spoilers*


Click on the links below for more Skyfall Reviews by my favorite Film Critics.
Skyfall by Jordan at Rath's Reviews
Film Review: 007 ~ Skyfall Alexandra Lanc at Words of the Worlds
Movie Review: Skyfall (2012) by Buddy2Blogger at Buddy2Blogger
Skyfall by Ian Drury at Banon's Roar!
Skyfall Review by Daniel at Random Mexican's Movie Review Extravaganza
If you have reviewed the film and would like a link to your link review to be displayed on tomorrow's post, please comment.

For Part 2 of this review and my final thoughts, please check back here tomorrow. What are your thoughts on the film? Have you seen or do you want to see it? Please comment below.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Skyfall Soundtrack and Post Schedule.

Last night I finally watched Skyfall! After waiting weeks for Blockbuster at Home to bloody send it, it finally arrived. As a life-long James Bond fan I had exceeding high expectations but I will reserve my full thoughts for the film in my review later this week. For today I want to highlight Skyfall's phenomenal soundtrack by Thomas Newman and give everyone a preview for what is to come this week on J and J Productions. Also Adele's fantastic song, "Skyfall", used in the Title Sequence of the film is included below. Now, this week's up-coming posting schedule.

 

Tuesday: Funny Pictures

Wednesday: Skyfall Review: Part 1

Thursday: Skyfall Review: Part 2

Friday: Name That Soundtrack

Saturday: Trivia

Sunday: Viral Video Sunday

Monday: Readers' Choice

 

Because my Skyfall review run over 1200 words, I have decided to split it up into two posts and add a small Spoilers segment at the end but everything else will be a spoiler free review of the film.

Note 1: This schedule is subject to change if there is some big movie related news.

Note 2: Anonymous have been enabled again, therefore some of my readers can now comment again. 

Note 3: Anonymous Comments are been enabled again, there must have been some error when I tried earlier.

Click on the links below for some Skyfall Reviews by my favorite Film Critics.
Skyfall by Jordan at Rath's Reviews
Film Review: 007 ~ Skyfall Alexandra Lanc at Words of the Worlds
Movie Review: Skyfall (2012) by Buddy2Blogger at Buddy2Blogger
Skyfall by Ian Drury at Banon's Roar!
Skyfall Review by Daniel at Random Mexican's Movie Review Extravaganza
If you have reviewed the film and would like a link to your link review to be displayed on tomorrow's post, please comment.

Unfortunately the iconic Bond theme used in Skyfall is not found among Skyfall's soundtrack even though it was used in the film.

  

  

Here is the entire Skyfall soundtrack in one long video.

What do you think of Skyfall's soundtrack? Please comment below.

 

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Skyfall Review Round-Up

After the disappointing  Quantum of Solace the Bond franchise really needed to get back to Casino Royale form again and from the reviews it appears that Skyfall more than delivered. As I expected, there are basically no Bond fans on blogger but here are the links to my reviews from the last two days.

Quantum of Solace (22th Bond Film) Review

Casino Royale (21st Bond movie) Review.

After such stellar reviews for Skyfall, it seems that Bond has crushed Bourne this year. Also with all the amazing movies this year like The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Hobbit coming later this year, could 2012 be the best year ever in films? So far, so good.

 

 

Chris Stuckmann: A+: Stuckmann said Skyfall is one of the best films of the year and is one of only 16 movies to receive that rating.

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%: Rotten Tomatoes' reviews are holding steady at a an excellent 93%.

"Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date."

IGN: 9.0/10: IGN.com is not the best review website because of they are not consistent with their reviews, however from all the other reviews Skyfall seems to be a fantastic film. IGN even suggested that it might be the best Bond outing.
 

Schmoes Know: 4.5/5: Although they did not enjoy it as much as Casino Royale, they did say that Bond was to form after the disappointing Quantum of Solace.

Ian Drury at Banon's Roar!: 4/4: Fellow blogger and film critic Ian Drury gave an out standing review, citing that it may be the best Bond film yet.  Click here to read his review.
 

 

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Quantum of Solace (22th Bond Film) Review

Thoughts: Quantum of Solace, the 22th film in the iconic James Bond and the only one that directly picks up were the previous film left off. Literally, about five minutes after Casnio Royale ends is were Quantum of Solace starts. It is unclear if the events of this film will be relevant for Skyfall but after I watch Skyfall I will be sure to note that in my review.
While Casino Royale was an amazing action film with a smart plot, realistic characters and excellent performances, Quantum of Solace is a convoluted mess with mind numbing action scenes. Rarely if ever have I been so disinterested in an action scene when there is a lot happening on the screen. The tone of the action and the movie in general is completely different than Casino Royale. It is trying to be more gritty, yet over-the-top at the same time and it does not work! For the first 30 minutes I had no idea what was going on or why. Not because it was too complex, because it made no sense and was told poorly. The new director Marc Forster completely butchered what could have been a good Bond movie after the fantastic Casnio Royale. While Casino Royale had some great nods and references that made it seem like a Bond movie despite the lack of gadgets, Quantum was nothing that resembles a Bond film except for one minor reference. Also the villain is a complete joke, one of the worst. However, after the first half of the movie, it does start to become much better and interesting when the espionage starts.



Directed by: Marc Forster
Genre: Action, Spy, Espionage
Release Date: 29 October 2008
Running Time: 106 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13


The Good: Better second half, One clever Bond reference,

The Bad: Confusing action, Convoluted plot, Rips-off the Bourne franchise,

Note: As with all Bond films, there is some seggestive content.




Plot: The following plot summery is copied from Wikipedia.com.
James Bond is driving from Lake Como to Siena, Italy, with the captured Mr. White in the boot of his car. After evading pursuers, Bond and M interrogate White regarding his organisation, Quantum. M's bodyguard, Mitchell, a double agent, attacks M, enabling White to escape. Bond chases Mitchell and kills him. Bond and M return to London and search Mitchell's flat, discovering through tagged banknotes that Mitchell had a contact in Haiti. Bond tracks the contact, Edmund Slate, and learns that Slate is a hitman sent to kill Camille Montes at the behest of her lover, environmentalist Dominic Greene. While observing her subsequent meeting with Greene, Bond learns that Greene is helping an exiled Bolivian General, Medrano—who murdered Camille's family—to overthrow his government in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of desert.
After rescuing Camille from Medrano, Bond follows Greene to a performance of Tosca in Bregenz, Austria. En route, the CIA head of the South American section, Gregg Beam, strikes a non-interference deal with Greene to maintain access to assumed stocks of Bolivian oil. Bond infiltrates Quantum's meeting at the opera, and a gunfight ensues. A Special Branch bodyguard of Quantum member Guy Haines, an advisor to the British Prime Minister, is killed while in combat with Bond, and M—after Bond refuses to obey orders to return home and debrief—has his passports and credit cards revoked. Watch the movie to see what happens next.


Plot: 5.7/10- The first half is a complete convoluted mess, nothing made sense. Although, the second half almost started to become interesting. The way it tied into the previous was done very poorly, I almost did not know that it was realted to Casnio Royale.


Action: 7.6/10- There was a lot of action throughout the movie, however the filming made it seem dull. Stuff was exploding but I really did not care what was happening. There were three action scenes were it basically coppied scenes from the Jason Bourne trilogy and I could only think of how it was so similar to Bourne that it made those scenes hard to enjoy.


Acting: 7.0/10- Daniel Craig as Bond was not half as good as he was in Casnio Royale and Judi Dench as M was as great as always. Olga Kurylenko as Camille Montes is the only main "Bond Girl" were she was not the romantic interest, which was refeshing, and her performance was solid. However, all of the antagonist were sub-par at best.


Special effects: 7.0/10- The explosions and everything looked good, but nothing too impressive.


Soundtrack: 6.0/10- I am not even sure if the classic Bond theme was used more than once, one of the worst Bond scores, although "Another Way To Die" was a solid Bond song.


Comedy: N/A- Nearly humorless.


Gadgets: N/A- Except for a cell phone, Bond used no gadgets.


Title Sequence: 7.0/10- Visually the title sequence was cool, but not the best. The song "Another Way To Die" was odd, yet still worked for the movie.

Would I Watch This Again: When I re-watch all of the Bond movies, I will watch this again.

Overall: 6.0/10- Overall Quantum of Solace has its moments, but lacks much of what made Casino Royale great.


Closing comments: Despite being a disappointing sequel, it is still one of the better movies from the James Bond franchise.

Recommended for: Action fans, Spy fans, Espionage fans,


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Casino Royale (21st Bond movie) Review.

Thoughts: When I first watched Casino Royale, back in 2006, I was majorly disappointed. Because it did not have gadgets like the other Bond movies and it was far too dark for a Bond movie. But I watched it again with an open mind, thinking of it as an action spy movie rather than a James Bond movie. I actually loved the movie; it is one of my all time favorite movies. I was expecting to maybe kind of like it but it was great. Most other critics agree that this is one of the best Bond movies and one of the best movies of that year. Also if Bond movies you will probably still like this one because it is very different from the original Bond movies. For this review I am going to put aside the fact that this is not really a true James bond movie and review it as an action spy movie. Casino Royale has been adapted twice into a movie but this is the first official James Bond adaption of the Casino Royale book. Casino Royale was the first book in the original book James Bond series, so it starts the new with a clean slate. It opened with Bond earning his "00" status as an agent of MI6, therefore you really do not have too much about the previous Bond movies other than a few references to the original movies. The action scenes in Casino Royale were truly amazing, with some of the best ever made. The first on-foot chase was incredible using spectacular parkour (free-running) and many other excellently choreographed fight scenes. Casino Royale is the first Bond movie to have great espionage since From Russia with Love and it executed the espionage perfectly. The plot twists were unexpected and the pacing was near perfect with only about 5 or 10 minutes with not many important things happening. As all Bond movies that was romance but it did not seem to have as much usual for a Bond movie and what was there seemed more real. Also the "Bond Girl" Vesper Lynd played by Eva Green was much better than most of the "Bond Girls" since she actually played an important role in the plot. There was one scene that if changed would have made the even better, it was the interrogation scene, I am not going to spoil the movie but if you have seen the movie you know what I am talking about.

Directed by: Martin Campbell
Genre: Action, Spy, Espionage
Release Date: 14 November 2006 (2006-11-14)
Running Time: 144 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13


The Good: Amazing action scenes, Great performances, Unexpected plot twists, Fantastic espionage,

The Bad:




Plot: The following plot summery is copied from Wikipedia.com.
After killing a traitorous MI6 section chief—who has been selling classified information—and the station chief's contact, James Bond gets his double-0 status. The new agent 007 then goes to Madagascar in pursuit of an international bomb-maker named Mollaka. After a free running chase to an embassy, Bond kills his target and blows up a part of the building in order to escape. Searching through Mollaka's cell phone, Bond discovers a text message which he traces to Alex Dimitrios, an associate of banker and terrorist financer Le Chiffre. Le Chiffre's investments involve short-selling stock in successful companies and then engineering terrorist attacks to sink their share prices.
Bond travels to Dimitrios' house in the Bahamas and seduces his wife, Solange. While answering a phone call, Solange reveals that her husband is flying to Miami; Bond leaves to pursue him. In Miami, 007 kills Dimitrios during a fight and then follows Le Chiffre's henchman, Carlos, to Miami International Airport. There, Bond foils Le Chiffre's plan to destroy the prototype Skyfleet airliner. Watch the movie to what happens next.


Plot: 9.4/10- Casino Royale's plot has plot twists, perfect use of espionage and it even made the poker game very interesting and suspenseful.

Action: 9.7/10- While there is not constant action, every action scene is very memorable and choreographed excellently. One of the action near the beginning is truly amazing, yet mostly realistic.

Acting: 9.2/10- While I would not consider Daniel Craig a very good James Bond his performance was very good and Eva Green performance was probably the best by a "Bond Girl".

Special effects: 8.0/10- There are not a lot of use of special effects except some explosions but what was there did look realistic.


Soundtrack: 9.3/10- The soundtrack used some of the great classic Bond music combined with some great new tracks.

Comedy: 6.5/10- There were a few humorous lines in Casino Royale.


Gadgets: N/A- As a James Bond movie Casino Royale fails because it does not have any gadgets in the movie like previous Bond movies.

Title Sequence: 9.4/10- Visually this is my favorite Title Sequence and the song was good but not near as good as some of the other songs from the previous Bond movies.




Would I Watch This Again: I will definitely watch this again, I want to go re-watch some of my favrotie scenes right now.

Overall: 9.3/10- Even if you do like not the other entries in the James Bond franchise you should like Casino Royale if you like spy or action movies.

Closing comments: While I would not consider Casino Royale a "Bond Movie", it is a truly fantastic action film.


Recommended for: Spy fans, Action fans, Espionage fans,
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For another opinion of Casino Royale click here to check out a review by Burning Passion reviews.

 



 

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Trivia and Skyfall in One Week!

Congratulations JT at The Window on the South and JT's Tales, Vincent the awesome at The Official Zombie Survival Guide and Vince the Awesome and Solace Utara at Prophets of the Force. Here are this week's trivia questions.

 

What is Starkiller (Vader's apprentice) real name?

 

What is the name of Gandalf's horse?

 

What is James Bond's preferred card game?

 

Name the movie and characters that this quote is from:

"Hasta La Vista Baby."

Be sure to check back here tomorrow for my Back to the Future review! And Tuesday I will post my thoughts about Disney buying Star Wars.

 

Last Week's Answers

What was Han Solo's job before becoming a smuggler?

Answer: Imperial pilot (but Solace's answer was also correct)

In The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers movie (not book) how kills did Gimli say he had after the battle of Helm's Deep?

Answer: 43

 

 

What is James Bond's preferred alcoholic beverage?

Answer: Dry vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.

Name the movie and characters that this quote is from:

Character 1: "Do you expect me to talk?"
Character 2: "No Mr (name) I expect you to die!"
Answer: Goldfinger

What is Master Chief's real name and Spartan number?
Answer: John 117

 

 The 23rd installment in the James Bond franchise, Skyfall will be released in one week! From the early reviews, it is said to be the best best Bond yet and I am inclined to believe them. In the countdown to the movie, I will post reviews for Casino Royal and Quatum of Solace, which are the two Bond movies leading up to the film's release with a "Review Roundup" for Skyfall. However, I will not have an entire week of Bond movies because I am the only person who actually likes Bond on Blogger. Casino Royal and Quatum of Solace are the only Bond films were its plot relates to movie following it, similar to most film sequels. Are you a James Bond fan? Please comment below.

 

 

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Goldfinger (3rd Bond Film) Review.

Thoughts: The Bond films at this point have made a large change in tone, with a more and better action, which worked brilliantly. It is one of my favorite Bond movies and is considered by many to be the best of the franchise. Introducing many iconic aspects unique to the James Bond franchise including, inventive gadgets, unique villains, awesome action, funny one liners, cool cars, and the famous James Bond Title Sequence. Goldfinger is one of the definitive Bond film, with the iconic lines: "Do you expect me to talk?", "No Mr. Bond, I expect you die." The action in Goldfinger was revolutionary for time. I have not seen better action from an earlier movie; it basically set the standard for action spy movies for years to come. Goldfinger is one of the movies that defined the 1960s and is the last truly great Bond movie until the recent Casino Royale. The main thing that modern audiences might not like in Goldfinger is that there are some corny lines and the movie does not take its self too seriously.



Note: I am a James Bond fan, therefore I have some bias but Goldfinger is considered a great movie by many critics.

Directed by: Guy Hamilton
Genre: Action, Spy, Espionage, Thriller,
Release Date: 17 September 1964
Running Time: 110 minutes
MMPA rating: PG


The Good: Great action scenes, Tons of cool gadgets, One of the best Bond villains, Cool cars, The song "Goldfinger" is one of the best movie songs, Humorous one liners, Cool cars, Iconic scenes,

The Bad:

Warning: Although Goldfinger was rated "PG" at the time, it would definitely be rated PG-13 for seggestive content.





Plot: The following plot summery is copied from Wikipedia.com.
After destroying a drug laboratory in Latin America, James Bond—agent 007—goes to Miami Beach. There he receives instructions from his superior, M, via CIA agent Felix Leiter to observe bullion dealer Auric Goldfinger, who is staying at the same hotel as Bond. The agent sees Goldfinger cheating at gin rummy and stops him by distracting his employee, Jill Masterson and blackmailing Goldfinger into losing. Bond and Jill consummate their new relationship, however, Bond is subsequently knocked out by Goldfinger's Korean manservant Oddjob, who then covers Jill in gold paint, killing her by epidermal suffocation.
In London, Bond learns that his true mission is determining how Goldfinger smuggles gold internationally. Bond arranges to meet Goldfinger socially and wins a high-stakes golf game against him with a recovered Nazi gold bar at stake. Bond follows him to Switzerland, where there is an attempt on Goldfinger’s life by Tilly Masterson to avenge the death of her sister, Jill.
Bond sneaks into Goldfinger's plant and discovers that he smuggles the gold by melting it down and incorporating it into the bodywork of his car, which he takes with him whenever he travels. Bond also overhears him talking to a Red Chinese agent named Mr. Ling about "Operation Grand Slam". Leaving, Bond encounters Tilly as she is about to make another attempt on Goldfinger's life, tripping an alarm as they leave; they attempt to escape, but Oddjob kills Tilly. Watch the movie to see what happens next.


Plot: 8.5/10- The plot is somewhat simple but very effective and original for its time.

Action: 9.7/10- Goldfinger has excellent action set pieces, ranging from exciting car chases, to gun fights, to hand-to-hand fighting. Although the action does not compare to anything today, it was fantastic for its time.

Acting: 8.0/10 Sean Connery, as usual, was the perfect Bond and his supporting cast gave solid performances.

Special effects: N/A

Soundtrack: 9.9/10- The combination of John Berry's iconic theme and Shirley Bassey's song "Goldfinger" made for the perfect James Bond soundtrack.

Comedy: 8.3/10- Goldfinger introduced Bond's classic one liners, which were very humorous.

Gadgets: 10/10- Goldfinger is the first Bond to have somewhat outlandish but awesome gadgets. It later became a staple of the franchise. From the Bond's famous Aston Martin DB5 to the Grappling hook gun, Goldfinger started it all.

Title Sequence: 10/10- This is the first James Bond movie that had the famous Title Sequence, although not visually stunning,  Shirley Bassey's song "Goldfinger" is one of the best songs used in a James bond movie.

Would I Watch This Again: Goldfinger is a movie that I have watched many times and I plan to continue to do so again.

Overall: 9.0/10- Although Goldfinger is not a masterpiece by any means, however it is a very fun of entertaining movie.

Goldfinger might not appeal to all audiences; it is one of the most iconic movies of its era.


Recommended for: Action fans, Spy fans, Espionage fans, Thriller fans,


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If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.